


Island in a Sea of Sand

by mybluerose



Series: The Island Series [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-15 18:13:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 18,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3456947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mybluerose/pseuds/mybluerose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Obi-Wan Kenobi never intended to be a father. He never intended to be a moisture farmer, either. But when he arrives on the Lars homestead to find Owen and Beru slain by Sand people, he finds himself raising Luke, the galaxy's best hope of defeating the Empire, on a desert planet thousands of light years from his friends and allies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This story was inspired by the fic “Five Things That Never Happened to Luke Skywalker” by Rynne on the force dot net—check it out! This fan fic is as canon as I could possibly make it. I spent many hours researching online and have read most of the EU novels (go Mara Jade!). I deliberately left all my original characters unnamed and most events take place around the same time that they do in cannon.

**Prologue**

_This is the dead land_  
_This is cactus land_  
_Here the stone images_  
_Are raised, here they receive_  
_The supplication of a dead man's hand_  
_Under the twinkle of a fading star._

 _Is it like this_  
_In death's other kingdom_  
_Waking alone_  
_At the hour when we are_  
_Trembling with tenderness_  
_Lips that would kiss_  
_Form prayers to broken stone._

 **The Hollow Men (Part Three, Stanzas 1 and 2) by T.S. Eliot**   **in Eliot's Poems: 1909–1925**

The wind that tugs at Obi-Wan's cloak and flings dust in his eyes is uncomfortably hot, even as Tatooine's two suns begin to set. It does nothing to remove the stench of death from the Lars homestead. A scent he has grown too well accustomed to, during the long years of the Clone Wars. The Tusken Raiders have left Beru and Owen's bodies stripped naked, their flesh mortifying quickly in the desert heat.

He is too late. He is always too late.

The infant boy in his arms starts squalling as if he can sense the deaths of his aunt and uncle. Perhaps he can. He is strong in the Force, this one, just like Anakin had been—No, he cannot think of that; not now. He has responsibilities. He hushes the child and sends him to sleep with a gentle Force suggestion. It takes him most of the night to dig by hand two graves through the hard packed sand.

Watching the brilliant suns rise in this beautiful and desolate land, he knows it is worth it.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

_No man is an island entire of itself; every man_

_Is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;_

_If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe_

_Is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as_

_Well as any manner of thy friends or of thine_

_Own were; any man's death diminishes me,_

_Because I am involved in mankind._

_And therefore never send to know for whom_

_The bell tolls; it tolls for thee._

**No Man is an Island by John Donne in** **Meditation XVII**

He is not a farmer.

Although once, many years ago he might have been, were it not for his master. It has been a month since the man calling himself Ben Lars, the lost spacer cousin of Owen Lars, has taken over the Lars homestead. The neighbors are suspicious at first. It seems rather convenient to them that a man shows up claiming to be the son of the late Edern Lars on the same day the Sand People murdered the young couple.

They wonder if this Ben, with his refined Core world's accent and elegant manners, has what it takes to survive near the edge of the Jundland Wastes. By the end of the month, the farm's sixty three vaporators are working better than they ever have. Visited daily by the man in his brown cloak, a baby strapped to his chest, he performs minor miracles with his maintenance.

The moisture farmers respect hard workers and their wives coo and fuss over baby Luke. The men ask him to look at their vaporators in exchange for parts and, more valuably, information on how to run a good moisture farm. The men now see him at him as an equal and offer him Pallie wine when he visits. The women serve him ahrisa and give him their old cloth for him to make his own garments and linens. They tell him that it is a strange man who sews clothes for himself and his son.

He is not a father but he does not correct them.

A father and young son are less likely to draw attention from the Empire than a man fitting his description would by himself. When a girl gathers the courage to ask where is little Luke's mother, the expression on his face is enough to confirm their worst fears. The girl apologizes and says his wife must have been a beautiful woman to produce such a handsome boy and that he must miss her very much.

He does not correct her either.


	3. Chapter Two—Part 1

**Chapter Two—Part 1**

_What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow_

_Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,_

_You cannot say, or guess, for you know only_

_A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,_

_And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,_

_And the dry stone no sound of water. _Only_  _

_There is shadow under this red rock,_

_(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),_

_And I will show you something different from either_

_Your shadow at morning striding behind you_

_Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;_

_I will show you fear in a handful of dust._

**The Waste Land (Part 1, Stanza 2, lines 19 - 30) by T.S. Eliot**

Six months after his arrival on Tatooine and Obi-Wan is feeling a little overwhelmed. Luke is crawling now, and he is a curious child. Obi-Wan is close to exasperated as he gives the boy his third bath of the day. The youngling has somehow found, and attempted to eat, some raw dung worms. Which, as it happens, smell like their name implies.

The boy is oblivious to Obi-Wan's consternation. He shrieks happily as the sonic shower head tickles his skin, blue eyes wide, his small shock of blond hair askew. Obi-Wan shakes he head, laughing. Luke is such a good natured child. Admittedly, whenever he fees that the boy is sad or scared he calms him down immediately with a soothing Force presence. This, Obi-wan suspects, is an unfair advantage that he has over most parents.

He knows he can no longer put off his trip into town. He has avoided it so far; his neighbors do not mind picking up whatever he needs when they head out to Anchorhead. But the hydroponic stations were now full to bursting with vegetables: Bloddle, Podpoppers, Hubba gourds, Tatoes and Driss flowers; with plenty of sweet fruit: Pallies, Bristlemelon and Pika.

He needs to find a buyer for his produce and surplus water; something he must do in person. He has left it late as it is, the other moisture farmers have told him. He knows why he has not left yet—Jedi are taught to _know_ themselves above all else—and his reason is selfish. He does not want to know anything about what is happening in the galaxy.

The farm has become his refuge, little Luke, his savior. It is hard to despair about his former apprentice and the state of the galaxy under Sith rule when there are vaporators to repair, crops to tend and, most of all, a force sensitive infant to care for. Luke is normally a happy, quiet child but if he senses Obi-Wan's distress he will scream for hours.

This is why he is leaving the youngling with a family that lives on a moisture farmer near Anchorhead: the Sunber's. They have a boy named Janek, who is a few years older than Luke; he would even go so far as to call them friends. They have H'Kak bean tea together once a week. It is Luke's first time away from him. As he departs on his eopie, Luke's distressed cries twist a knot in his stomach. He has often wondered if being so close to the boy is creating an attachment that is bad—and  _dangerous_. There is a reason Jedi were raised in a crèche, without parents.

Now, for the first time, he wonders if  _he_  is dangerously attached to the boy.


	4. Chapter Two—Part 2

_What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow_

_Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,_

_You cannot say, or guess, for you know only_

_A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,_

_And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,_

_And the dry stone no sound of water. _Only_  _

_There is shadow under this red rock,_

_(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),_

_And I will show you something different from either_

_Your shadow at morning striding behind you_

_Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;_

_I will show you fear in a handful of dust._

**The Waste Land (Part 1, Stanza 2, lines 19 - 30) by T.S. Eliot**

Obi-Wan arrives in the dusty town and is surprised that it has not changed since his arrival months ago. Was it only months? It feels like years. Lifetimes. He pulls the hood of his course woven cloak over his head. It would not do to be recognized.

He enters a cantina that is much like others he has been in on a myriad of worlds. It is dimly lit with a greasy scent to the recycled air, which is at least cold. The other moisture farmers have told him this place caters to farmers and buyers, so despite his reservations, he sits down. Almost immediately, a short, balding man with a scruffy beard walks up to Obi-Wan after giving him a calculating onceover with his eyes.

"What can I get ya?" the man asks gruffly.

"An eopie brisket and water, please. I am also looking for a buyer for my crops."

The bartender strokes his beard thoughtfully. "Bit late for that, but I'll see what I can do."

He returns some time later with his food and a man with dark hair who emanates suspicion in the Force. He says his name is Huff Darklighter, and his voice is terse with barely concealed contempt. He does not ask for Obi-Wan's name. They spend a better part of an hour haggling, but the man never gives an offer that is not seriously beneath the value of his crop.

The man radiates distain and anger in the Force; and under that…  _fear_. He is tempted to Force suggest the man. He feels guilty about even entertaining such thoughts but he and little Luke  _need_  the money from this sale or they will lose the farm in the near future.

"Friend, we both know you have not offered a single fair price for my goods. What have I done to offend you?"

He ends the sentence with a subtle hand wave, giving him the Force compulsion to answer truthfully. Darklighter's face twists and he pulls something out of his tunic pocket and slams it on the table. It is a picture of a humanoid completely cove in black armor. As Obi-Wan stares into the helmeted eyes, so reminiscent of the clone troopers, he knows with a certainty that comes from the Force whom it is. The thought sends a thrill of hope and anguish down his spine.

_Oh Anakin, what have you become?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Two—Part 3**

_What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow_

_Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,_

_You cannot say, or guess, for you know only_

_A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,_

_And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,_

_And the dry stone no sound of water. _Only_  _

_There is shadow under this red rock,_

_(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),_

_And I will show you something different from either_

_Your shadow at morning striding behind you_

_Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;_

_I will show you fear in a handful of dust._

**The Waste Land (Part 1, Stanza 2, lines 19 - 30) by T.S. Eliot**

His face carefully neutral, Obi-Wan rips his eyes from the picture and stares at Darklighter. The man's hostility toward him has increased—in the Force he burns like a furnace. More importantly, his right hand is hovering near his trouser pocket where Obi-Wan can see the outline of a blaster.

"I do not see how  _this_ ," he gestures at the picture. "Has anything to do with me."

"You deny you are an agent of the Republic? That your farmers disguise is another attempt buy my silence? I have told you people I will not condone a garrison of troops here no matter what our new _Emperor_ and his pet rancor says." He shoots the picture a dirty look.

"I see," Obi-Wan has the urge to laugh at this misunderstanding but feels that Darklighter would not appreciate it.

"And if I were to tell you that I am not working for the Republic in any capacity, but am truly a farmer with produce to sell?

The man snorts incredulously but seems less hostile. He sits down opposite him and returns the picture to his pocket. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks at him skeptically.

"How do you explain your accent if you're just a farmer?"

"I was not born here." Obi-Wan states simply.

"That is obvious," Darklighter scowls. "Who are you and where  _were_  you born?"

Obi-Wan pauses, taking a drink of water. He had fabricated a backstory within a few day of his arrival on Tatooine. He has yet to truly use it as the other farmers are respectful of privacy and were content with the few answers he gave them. The main benefits of the story he has come up with is that it is hard to verify and gives him familial claim to the Lars farm. But no background is infallible.

"I am Ben Lars—"

"Oh! You're the one who moved in after the Sand People attacked? The one with the kid?

"Yes. My father was Edern Lars, Owen's brother. He died when he fourteen. My mother was only a year older and as soon as she found out she was pregnant she got passage on a cargo ship and became a part of the crew. I grew up on that ship.

It mostly ran luxury goods on the Corelia Run and all of the crew except my mother were from the core worlds. That is why I speak with a core world's accent. I am starting over here. I truly need you to purchase my crop. Luke and I need the money."

"Luke? Is that your son?" He nods, takes a deep breath and sips some water. Darklighter has been listening intently and he can tell by the man's Force presence that he believes his story. So far, at least.

"Aright, I'll buy, but I'm doing this more for your kid than for you. But answer me this, Why did you come here? You aren't a farmer. You should have stayed on your ship." Obi-Wan looks at Darklighter with haunted eyes and, in a voice little more than a whisper, speaks truthfully.

"I lost everything in the war…"


	6. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,_  
_And sorry I could not travel both_  
 _And be one traveler, long I stood_  
 _And looked down one as far as I could_  
 _To where it bent in the undergrowth;_  
  
_Then took the other, as just as fair_  
 _And having perhaps the better claim,_  
 _Because it was grassy and wanted wear;_  
 _Though as for that the passing there_  
 _Had worn them really about the same,_  
  
_And both that morning equally lay_  
 _In leaves no step had trodden black._  
 _Oh, I kept the first for another day!_  
 _Yet knowing how way leads on to way,_  
 _I doubted if I should ever come back._  
  
_I shall be telling this with a sigh_  
 _Somewhere ages and ages hence:_  
 _Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —_  
 _I took the one less traveled by,_  
 _And that has made all the difference._

**The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost**

It has been ten months since he has taken over the moisture farm and the middle of the second growing season on Tatooine. The hydroponic stations need almost constant attention. Six of the farm's vaporators have broken down and worse, it is the dry season: the atmospheric water content is down several percent. This has forced Obi-Wan to buy water from other farmers or risk losing his crop.

He has spent the last seven days, from dawn to dusk, fixing the vaporators. He has left Luke at the Sunber's for the week. He could not watch they boy with everything else he had to do. He has finished the repair work, at last, and is picking Luke up in the X-34 landspeeder he bought with some of the money from selling his first harvest.

The Sunber's greet him cheerfully, offering him dinner to which he agrees. Their three year old son Janek tells him that he does not want Obi-Wan to take Luke back to his home—he wants to keep him as his little brother. His mother laughs and shakes her head.

"The second day Luke was here he said he hated him. He was afraid we were going to replace him!"

Dinner is wonderful, bantha steaks, Hubba bread and Deb-Deb wine. Luke lies on a blanket on the floor, chewing on a stuffed toy ronto. He scoops him up and hugs him, pleased with the happiness the youngling is broadcasting loudly through the Force. The boy giggles as Obi-Wan strokes his unusually thick hair.

Janek's mother, smiling, asks Luke, "Who is that?"

To Obi-Wan's astonishment the boy responds, "Da!"

He feels his chest constrict as the boy repeats the word. He recognizes with a start that he has not been teaching the child to talk. They communicate through touch and the Force. It did not occur to him that Luke was old enough to start learning to speak.

With another jolt of revelation, Obi-Wan realizes that he has not considered himself Luke's father. The boy is Anakin's son. He would not even be rearing him if the Tusken Raiders had not killed his aunt and uncle. He has never even referred to Luke as his son aloud. People have just assumed that Luke is his. He looks into the boy's clear blue eyes. No, he has never considered himself Luke's father. Until now.

"Yes Luke," he says softly, "I am your father."


	7. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

_Whose woods these are I think I know._  
_His house is in the village, though;_  
 _He will not see me stopping here_  
 _To watch his woods fill up with snow._  
  
_My little horse must think it queer_  
 _To stop without a farmhouse near_  
 _Between the woods and frozen lake_  
 _The darkest evening of the year._  
  
_He gives his harness bells a shake_  
 _To ask if there is some mistake._  
 _The only other sound's the sweep_  
 _Of easy wind and downy flake._  
  
_The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,_  
 _But I have promises to keep,_  
 _And miles to go before I sleep,_  
 _And miles to go before I sleep._

**Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost**

Today is Luke's first birthday and the Lars home is full of people. Obi-Wan had intended to spend Luke's birthday the way Jedi usually spent theirs—or the way they had before the War—in meditation and introspection. However, when Mrs. Sunber discovered that he had no plans for Luke's "special day", she organized a small party to be held at their farm.

The Sunber's are there, of course, with their son Janek. Also, to Obi-Wan's surprise, is Huff Darklighter with his wife and young son Biggs, whom is Janek's age. His neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Marstrap are there too with their son Windom, whom is a month younger than Luke.

He serves them dust crêpes and nausage with pallie wine, all grown in his hydroponic stations. The women compliment him on his cooking, the men on his wine. There is the usual talk about crops and weather along with a good amount of joking and teasing. He feels Luke's presence humming cheerfully through the Force as he uses Obi-Wan's chair to help him stand.

"Daddy!" he cries happily.

"I swear, that's Luke's favorite word!" Mrs. Sunber says laughing.

"Yes!" the boy says—this is the latest word he has learned—and everyone around the table laughs.

Picking up the youngling and putting him in his lap, Obi-Wan realizes that for the first time in a long while… since before the war… since before the death of his master… he feels content. The anguish he felt at Anakin's betrayal, the pain of the deaths of his friends and their way of life... The sorrow is still there.

But he no longer spends each day thinking about his regrets or what he might have done differently. He has finally learned what his master was always telling him: live in the present. Looking down at the child— _his son_ —he knows this is his doing. There is little time for self-recrimination when one has a Force sensitive infant to care for. It reminds him of something his master once said.

_"All of life's most valuable lessons are learned by way of sorrow."_

To Obi-Wan's mild surprise, the three families have brought gifts for Luke. The Sunber's give him a brown package that contains some of Janek's outgrown clothes. The Darklighter's present is a stuffed bantha only slightly smaller than Luke. And the Marstrap's gift is a soft, homemade cloth ball that is bantha milk blue. Touched, he thanks them profusely and promises to be at Windom's birthday next month.

The suns are setting by the time everyone leaves. The Sunber's and the Marstrap's have to get back to their farms, but the Darklighter's, who live in town, linger over tea. Mrs. Darklighter is attempting to placate a tired and fussy Biggs who did not get his nap today, while Mr. Darklighter and Obi-Wan obliquely discus the rumors of a rebellion being formed against the Empire.

He almost flinches when he hears that it is being led by two men called Ferus Olin and Garen Muln. Olin had been his friend's apprentice, one whom had often been in contention with his own. Not, he muses, without reason. He had also left the Jedi Order soon after becoming a knight over ideological differences.

Garen had been his good friend since they were children in the same clan in the Jedi crèche. A thrill of hope races through him. Garen is alive! He has not thought any of the Jedi Generals survived Order 66. And forming a rebellion? He wants to laugh. That is just like Garen; and from what he can remember, is rather like Olin as well.

Obi-Wan thanks Darklighter for the information and bids them farewell. He walks over to where Luke is climbing over his new toy bantha, giggling happily. For the first time since his arrival he is contemplating leaving. It would be fairly easy, he knows, to sell his farm and take Luke with him as he finds this rebellion. And perhaps even more of his friends are alive.

"Daddy!" Luke chirps to him, brows furrowed in frustration.

"Yes, Luke?" he answers, knowing that the boy does not expect a reply.

"Daddy!" he says and points to his new ball that has rolled under the table, the Force vibrating with the youngling's frustration.

Yes, it would not be hard to leave here. Luke is too young to have friends and if he is to be the one destined to defeat Vader, would it not be better for him to be reared among other Jedi? It would be dangerous, a voice whispers in his head. The Empire is not looking for them now but if word spreads that General Kenobi has a young child with him whose age indicates that he was born not long after the Jedi had fallen…

The wrong people might take notice.

Luke's Force presence suddenly changes from frustration to triumph. Obi-Wan turns to see that Luke has crawled as close to the table as he can with all the chairs in the way, and with one small hand reaching out, is levitating the ball to himself. Obi-Wan watches, still and silent, until the boy grasps the ball in his hands and laughs.

He lets out a breath he had not known he was holding. Such power at that age… human Jedi did not usually start levitating things until they were at the least six standard years of age. Infants might telekinetically pull things, yes, but full, sustained levitation? The only person who might have been able to do that was… Anakin.

"Daddy!" the boy screeches, offering Obi-Wan his ball.

He sweeps the boy into his arms and cuddles him against his chest, savoring the contentment and safety the boy transmits through the Force. No, as much as he desires to see his friend it would be too dangerous. And what would the Sunber's think of him leaving before the harvest is in?

Holding the boy in his arms, he tries to teach Luke a new word.

"Home," he gestures around the room.

"Home," he repeats.

Luke is a quick learner, especially when he can sense Obi-Wan's intensity through the Force.

"Home!" the boy shouts.

"Yes, good boy, Luke." He boy smiles and looks up at him.

"Daddy home!"


	8. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

_Turning and turning in the widening gyre_  
_The falcon cannot hear the falconer;_  
 _Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;_  
 _Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,_  
 _The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere_  
 _The ceremony of innocence is drowned;_  
 _The best lack all conviction, while the worst_  
 _Are full of passionate intensity._

**The Second Coming (First Stanza) by William Butler Yeats**

There is now an Imperial Garrison in Anchorhead. Coruscant has been officially renamed Imperial Center and the Emperor is pressing the Imperial Senate to ratify galaxy wide restrictions on non-humanoid beings. Yet life on the Lars farmstead continues the same as it has eighteen standard months ago. True, Obi-Wan had been concerned when the garrison was first established last month, but his fears were unfounded.

The garrison was small with less than fifty troops, who were the recent graduates from Imperial Center's new Imperial Academy, commanded by a clone soldier. The recruits had graduated last in their class which was why they had been sent to Tatooine, a planet that was only recently added to the Empire and formed the outermost edge of the Emperor's control.

Obi-Wan had originally worried that the clone commander might recognize him, but he is not from the 501st or his own company and never served under him. And the owner of the Lars' farm little resembles the grim faced general from the wanted pictures on the HoloNet. His auburn hair and beard are well trimmed but long; now streaked with copper highlights, bleached from long hours working under Tatooine's suns. His countenance is relaxed and his eyes often sparkle with mirth.

Luke is walking now. He can often be seen toddling after Obi-Wan in the evenings or chasing his blue ball around the courtyard of the house. Obi-Wan no longer goes into town now. Not because of the garrison and its troops but because he feels that he can no longer leave Luke with the Sunbers. The boy has a habit of levitating things he wants but cannot reach. This often leads to disastrous results at meal times.

Obi-Wan is conflicted. He cannot allow his neighbors to see the strange power his child has but Luke is too young to understand the need for discretion. Should he punish the boy for his actions? Luke is a fast learner and responds well to a slap on the wrist and a sense of Obi-Wan's displeasure through the Force. The part of him that is a father and wants to keep his son safe tells him this is the best course of action.

But the part of him that is a Jedi recoils at the thought of punishing a Force sensitive child for using their natural abilities in a way that causes no harm. He wishes he could contact his old master or even Yoda for advice. Yet despite his meditations his master has not appeared to him and contacting Yoda for such a trivial matter is foolishness that would endanger them all. In the end, he has been a Jedi longer than he has been a father. Even as Luke drenches himself and Obi-Wan in bantha milk from attempting to levitate his cup from across the table, he only laughs and dries the boy off.

And worries that he is more Jedi than father.


	9. Chapter Six—Part 1

**Chapter Six—Part 1**

_I saw the vision of armies;_

_And I saw, as in noiseless dreams, hundreds of battle-flags;_

_Borne through the smoke of the battles, and pierc'd with missiles,_

_I saw them, and carried hither and yon through the smoke, and torn and bloody;_

_And at last but a few shreds left on the staffs, (and all in silence,)_

_And the staffs all splinter'd and broken._

_I saw battle-corpses, myriads of them,_

_And the white skeletons of young men—I saw them;_

_I saw the debris and debris of all the dead soldiers of the war;_

_But I saw they were not as was thought;_

_T_ _hey themselves were fully at rest—they suffer'd not;_

_T_ _he living remain'd and suffer'd—the mother suffer'd,_

_And the wife and the child, and the musing comrade suffer'd,_

_And the armies that remain'd suffer'd._

**When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom'd (Stanza 18) by Walt Whitman**

The loose sand on the dune he is laying on is still warm from the heat of the day, despite the chill wind that blows grit overhead, obscuring the stars. In a few hours there will be a full blown sand storm thick enough to suffocate anyone out here. The blaster feels awkward and clumsy in Obi-Wan's hand, though he handles it like someone long acquainted with its use. He draws comfort from the cylinder digging into his flank secreted in his tunic, yet he knows he cannot use it.

Looking through a pair of macro binoculars that are older than he is, Obi-Wan can see the Tusken encampment hidden in a bowl shaped hollow made by the dunes. Their scouts have not spotted them; no doubt confident that the approaching storm will keep their enemies indoors. They would have been right had Obi-Wan not convinced his fellow moisture farmers otherwise.

The raiders had attacked a nearby farm two days before. Several people were killed and a sixteen year old boy had lost a leg. After the murder of the Lars couple twenty-two months ago, all of the moisture farmers desire retribution. Knowing that many would be killed in a straight confrontation with the Sand People, Obi-Wan offers to lead them, citing combat experience in the Clone Wars. As none of the farmers had ever even been off-world before, they agree.

He has arranged his makeshift army in an almost complete ring around the dunes. His plan is to attack them unaware from a good vantage point, and drive the noncombatants through the opening in the circle. The Tusken camp is perfect for this. The dune walls provide great cover from both enemy and friendly fire. He can almost hear himself lecturing to Anakin all those years ago:

_Know your enemy._

He knows the Tusken women and children will run for safety while the men will attack. He has ordered his own men not to shoot at anyone fleeing for the gap in their defense. Instead they are to concentrate their fire on the banthas. Sand People bond with their banthas as children and when their animal dies they often follow.

Gazing at the camp below, he takes carful aim with the blaster. A red bolt of light flies from the tip of his weapon and hits a Tusken clad in sand colored fabric in the chest, felling him instantly. The night lights up with the fire and buzz from energy weapons.

_One last battle_ , he tells himself. And aims again.


	10. Chapter Six—Part 2

**Chapter Six—Part 2**

_And I saw askant the armies,_

_I saw as in noiseless dreams hundreds of battle-flags,_

_Borne through the smoke of the battles and pierc'd with missiles I saw them,_

_And carried hither and yon through the smoke, and torn and bloody,_

_And at last but a few shreds left on the staffs, (and all in silence,)_

_And the staffs all splinter'd and broken._

_I saw battle-corpses, myriads of them,_

_And the white skeletons of young men, I saw them,_

_I saw the debris and debris of all the slain soldiers of the war,_

_But I saw they were not as was thought,_

_They themselves were fully at rest, they suffer'd not,_

_The living remain'd and suffer'd, the mother suffer'd,_

_And the wife and the child and the musing comrade suffer'd,_

_And the armies that remain'd suffer'd._

**When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom'd (Stanza 18) by Walt Whitman**

The fight is going well. The steady stream of fire from the farmers on the dunes has caused the Tusken bantha herd to stampede through the gap left open in their defensive circle, just as planned. The women and children follow not willing to abandon their animals. Obi-Wan knows that there is another dune hollow like this one several kilometers away, and that they will take refuge in it from the approaching sand storm.

The men however, take cover as best they can behind their tent shelters and fire back with Tusken Cyclers. The resulting battle is chaotic and deafening with the bellowing of wounded banthas, the yells of men and Tuskens and the sharp crack of the cyclers. The dark night lit with the red light of blaster bolts.

It is over in less than ten minutes.

The farmers are victorious, not because of their skill with blasters but because Tusken Cyclers are long distance weapons. The slugthrowers are slow firing, hold less twenty rounds and work best at ranges over two hundred meters. The hollow they are in is little over half that and the men on the dunes are well protected by the sand.

Obi-Wan shouts, telling everyone to remain were they are. He cautiously descends the slope of the dune into the encampment. Bodies are lying on the ground, eerie with the light of the three moons reflecting off their goggles. He stops at the corpse of a Tusken too small to be anything other than a youngling.

The blood soaking her robe appears black in the moonlight. He knew this would happen. But it does not stop the grief he feels and he is powerless to prevent the tears that come. The farmers on the dunes start to cheer and he cannot help the surge of anger that washes over him, nor the dark thoughts that follow.

They are not his people and this is not his war.


	11. Chapter Six—Part 3

**Chapter Six—Part 3**

_And I saw askant the armies,_

_I saw as in noiseless dreams hundreds of battle-flags,_

_Borne through the smoke of the battles and pierc'd with missiles I saw them,_

_And carried hither and yon through the smoke, and torn and bloody,_

_And at last but a few shreds left on the staffs, (and all in silence,)_

_And the staffs all splinter'd and broken._

_I saw battle-corpses, myriads of them,_

_And the white skeletons of young men, I saw them,_

_I saw the debris and debris of all the slain soldiers of the war,_

_But I saw they were not as was thought,_

_They themselves were fully at rest, they suffer'd not,_

_The living remain'd and suffer'd, the mother suffer'd,_

_And the wife and the child and the musing comrade suffer'd,_

_And the armies that remain'd suffer'd._

**When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom'd (Stanza 18) by Walt Whitman**

Preoccupied with his grief he almost does not notice the frisson of warning the Force shoots through his nerves. However, the Clone Wars have honed his instincts so he throws himself a meter to his right without truly being conscious of doing so. This is a fortunate thing, as a split second latter the mace head of a gaffi stick strikes the hard packed sand and would surely have bludgeoned him to death had he remained where he was standing.

Obi-Wan instinctually reaches for his lightsaber only to remember that it is not on his belt. It is hidden in his tunic and he cannot use it. Not with the men on the dunes watching and screaming at him. He only hopes that they have the sense not to shoot. None of them are good enough with a blaster that they would not risk hitting him as well as the Tusken, who is now jabbing at him with the spear point at the tip of the mace.

He dodges the strikes easily, back stepping, trying to put space between him and his opponent while withdrawing his blaster from its holster. Then, with alarming speed, the Tusken swipes at him with the curved end of his gaffi stick that has a hook on it. It caches his blaster, sending it flying from his hand. Obi-Wan twists his body as the mace end comes up swiftly towards his face, but is not fast enough.

One of the mace's sharpened flanges hits him on the side of the head, sending him reeling to the ground. Vision swimming, clutching his head with one hand, Obi-Wan narrowly avoids another killing blow by rolling, the gaffi stick hitting the sand next to him with a dull thump. His head hurts, and he wants to throw up. His thoughts are scattered and muzzy, yet once again the Force saves him as he senses the vicious thrust with the spear end of the Tusken weapon and avoids it by performing an awkward backward summersault.

_It would be easy, so easy, to just give in_ , a voice whispers in his mind as he eludes another assault. He is tired. So tired. No one would blame him if he decides to end it now. His friends are dead, so is the man he loved as a father. And the man he loved as a brother betrayed him and all he held dear. All he has to do is stop fighting. Just give up. Just this once.

_I never knew you to be a coward_ , another voice in his head, one that sounds like his old master, speaks.

_Haven't I done enough!_  he tells the voice, truly angry for the first time since he has been on Tatooine.

_No,_   _not yet_ , the voice responds simply.  _Death is the selfish way out. It is often much harder to live than to die._

_After all I have done I deserve some selfishness!_  he answers bitterly.

_And what of the boy? Would you abandon him too?_

Obi-Wan skitters backward to evade the hook of the gaffi stick. Abandon Luke? Suddenly he is no longer fighting for is life in the cold dark on the edge of the Jundland Wastes. He is in a small warm kitchen, siting in the lap of Mrs. Sunber, and crying hard as the woman murmurs soothing words.

_Luke?_  The little boy stops crying instantly.

_Daddy!_  The thought is bright and clear, suffused with relief that his father is alright and with delight that he is talking but not with his voice. Obi-Wan hears himself gasp and it sounds far away. This is not the usual emotional sensations that he and Luke normally engaged in. This is true telepathy. This…. This feels like an apprentice bond.  _But a Force bond with one so young, and over such distance?_  he marvels.

_Daddy come home now?_  the boy asks.

_Soon,_  he promises, closing the telepathic link between them.

He stands swiftly, making the Tusken hesitate. He presses this advantage by grabbing the hand holding the gaffi stick and yanking it towards him. His opponent stumbles forward, off balance. Obi-Wan wrenches the Tusken's arm behind its back as it falls to the ground, yelling when the bones in its forearm break from the strain. He scoops up the gaffi stick from the ground and dispassionately clubs the Tusken in the head with it.

Staggering slightly he walks back to the edge of the hollow where many of the men have gathered. They look at him and he can see the relief and respect in the eyes of the older ones and awe and what might be hero worship in the eyes of the younger ones. Deciding he does not want anyone attempting to replicate his actions, he sits down and emits a groan that is not entirely feigned. The men scramble to give him something to drink and to take a look at his head, which has stopped bleeding but not before covering his hand and half his face in blood.

"I underestimated him," he says to no one in particular.

"Maybe, but we've never seen anyone do anything like that before!" says an enthusiastic man who has just barely of age.

"Yeah! Could you teach us how to do that?" asks another young man.

Obi-Wan winces as one of the older farmers applies a bacta patch to his head. Teach farm boys unarmed combat? The idea had some merit, what with all the Tusken Raiders and Imperial stormtroopers about. And perhaps he could do something about their accuracy with their blasters. Luke would have to take priority but with their new bond, his concerns about having to hide the boy's Force talents are no longer so pressing. He can teach the boy control in a way he can understand. He opens his mind to Luke, whom he finds resting peacefully on a cot, not quite asleep.

_Would you like to become my apprentice, young one?_

_What's a 'prentice?_  a sleepy mental voice responds.

_An apprentice is someone who learns from someone in order to become like them._

_I want to be like Daddy!_

_Then, my new Padawan, sleep._  He sends a light Force suggestion to sleep through their bond and answers a questioning tendril of thought from the boy.

_I will come for you soon. Fear not, all is well._


	12. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

_My mother groand! my father wept,_  
_Into the dangerous world I leapt:_  
_Helpless, naked, piping loud:_  
_Like a fiend hid in a cloud._

_Struggling in my father's hands:_  
_Striving against my swaddling bands:_  
_Bound and weary I thought best_  
_To sulk upon my mother's breast._

**Infant Sorrow by William Blake**

It is one month after Luke's second birthday, which had been a repeat of last year's small affair, and the Lars courtyard is full of people. There are twenty or so men, all younger than Obi-Wan, with their wives, girlfriends and children. Three months ago, after the battle with the Sand People, Obi-Wan started giving lessons in unarmed combat, shooting, and even some military strategy, to the moisture farmers.

There had been more of an interest than Obi-Wan expected. Since then, he has been made the Commander of the Freedom Militia, somewhat against his will. He is now training his 'troops' five times a week with two beginner groups, two intermediate groups and the advanced group, whom were all here today. The Militia now has over one hundred members, primarily men between the ages of fourteen and thirty five but also has a handful of girls. Obi-Wan suspects these truly joined to see fit young men running around, but as it improves their overall performance, he cannot see the harm in it.

The first day there were fifteen young men, all whom had seen him fight the Tuskens, carrying their slugthrowers, which they mostly used to shoot womprats, over their shoulders. The next class, over twice as many people showed up, mostly the brothers and cousins of the first group. There were some older men, however, all of whom had helped him against the Raiders. He holds meetings in the afternoon, when Luke is napping, the day is cooling down and most of the work on the farms is over. He has them run laps and stretch, teaches them martial arts stances and assures them it will get easier with time. He has also set up a small shooting range behind the house so the men can work on their aim and speed.

Obi-Wan always ends each meeting with a reiteration of the theory behind self-defense and the reason why he is teaching it. He works them hard, but not unduly so for he is mindful that they are not Jedi or soldiers. Nevertheless he maintains discipline and makes sure all are treated with respect. His men heed him or else they are prohibited from attending.

He is happier than he can remember being. He had forgotten how much he enjoys teaching and how much he misses the company of other warriors, even if they are only in training. Only he is now so busy that his farm is beginning to suffer and Luke, who has never had to share Obi-Wan with others before, has developed a worrying jealousy toward others. For these reasons, he is holding a dinner today to work out a schedule with his advanced class so they will take over the beginner classes. He believes he can manage three classes a week.

Through their bond, he can feel Luke's anger as another youngling takes his blue ball he is playing with. Sensing the child's intention, he walks over and scoops his son up before he can use the Force to shove the other boy. This is another concerning development. Luke will often lash out with the Force when he is angry. If it were not for the bond between then there would be no way to keep his talents a secret.

_No_ , he says firmly though their link.

"Want ball! Mine!" the boy says out loud, his desire and anger roiling though the bond.

"You must share your things, Luke." He suffuses the link with waves of calm. The boy is having none of it, and sends back a wash of negative emotions: fear of so many people and disturbingly, resentment at not being allowed to punish the boy who took his toy.

_You must_  never  _use the Force to hurt others!_ His own fear and frustration make the thought more forceful than he intends and Luke bursts into tears.

Obi-Wan sighs and rocks the child. He doesn't know what to do. He knows almost nothing about Force sensitive children this young and does not know if this is normal or a sign of something more ominous. He worries that this is his fault, that his attachment to Luke is the source of this.

"It is alright young one, I am not angry with you." He floods the bond with affection and reassurance.

Luke stops crying and lies on his shoulder, sniffling. No, he is not angry with Luke. He is angry with himself. For his fear, his indecision and his inability to detach himself from the boy. But most of all he is afraid for Luke. That he will lose him like he lost Anakin. That this time he will see what his apprentice is becoming and be unable to stop it. That he will not have the strength to do what must be done.

He is angry at himself because he does not think can bear lose another one.


	13. Chapter Eight—Part 1

**Chapter Eight—Part 1**

_He is that fallen lance that lies as hurled,_   
_That lies unlifted now, come dew, come rust,_   
_But still lies pointed as it plowed the dust._   
_If we who sight along it round the world,_   
_See nothing worthy to have been its mark,_   
_It is because like men we look too near,_   
_Forgetting that as fitted to the sphere,_   
_Our missiles always make too short an arc._   
_They fall, they rip the grass, they intersect_   
_The curve of earth, and striking, break their own;_   
_They make us cringe for metal-point on stone._   
_But this we know, the obstacle that checked_   
_And tripped the body, shot the spirit on_   
_Further than target ever showed or shone._

**A Soldier by Robert Frost**

The suns will set in a few hours. Obi-Wan is in the small kitchen of the Lars house eating dinner with Luke. The boy is sitting in a highchair that is a gift from one of his students. He is grateful for it, since he no longer has to hold Luke in his lap to feed him. At thirty-two months old, the boy is a picky eater and does not hesitate to cover him with the objects of his displeasure.

Though the boy seems content with his meal tonight, Obi-Wan is troubled.

The Tuskens have grown bold lately. If it were not for his Militia, Obi-Wan knows that the attacks on three large moisture farms would have resulted in more casualties. As it was, four people were killed. One of them was a student of his, a young man who was an excellent shot with his slugthrower. It seems several of the Tusken clans have united under a warlord as sometimes happens with their people.

This does not worry him so much as the strong Force presence he has been sensing.

Have the Sith come to Tatooine? It would be a logical conclusion. He would be less concerned if his instincts did not tell him that the Tusken's increasing attacks and the Force presence are related. For what purpose would Sith have with the Raiders? Darklighter keeps him informed on the garrison in Anchorhead and they have not received any off world visitors as of late. Not that a Sith would necessarily travel through official channels. But what could possibly be the connection?

"The most complex problems often have a very simple answer, which is generally why you have not thought of them yet."

He spins around, hand instinctively reaching for his lightsaber. There, standing next to the opposite side of the table, is his former master. Qui-Gon Jinn. He is transparent, like a hologram, but the familiar Force presence is unmistakable, even after all these years. And he still speaks in riddles.

"Why are you here?" he says.  _Why are you here_ now _?_

"I have."

"What?"

"I have talked to you before. Sometimes you heard, other times you did not wish to." Obi-Wan shakes his head. At another time in his life he would have felt anger but now he only feels disappointed acceptance.

"Why are you here?" this time he truly wants the answer. His master smiles gently.

"Why would a Jedi join a clan of Tuskens?"

Obi-Wan cannot help but feel a little irritated when the transparent image of his master fades away. He turns to Luke, who is starring at the spot where his master was just standing, with a blue bantha milk mustache. He laughs and wipes the child's face off.

"Jedi," the boy says, trying out the new word.

"Jedi, Jedi, Jedi." Luke pauses and looks at him, sensing his concern through their bond.

"Let's not say that word," he says, trying through their bond to impress upon the boy the importance of this.

"Bad word?" the boy says. They have had a similar conversation when Luke had picked up some rather colorful Huttese from some of his militia members.

"No, it is just…" he trails off unsure of how to answer. "It's an  _unsafe_  word."

"Unsafe," the child repeats. He knows what it means, for Obi-Wan uses it often enough.

"Yes, it is unsafe…"

The realization hits him. The Force presence is a Jedi. And why would a Jedi join a clan of Tuskens? Because he is a Tusken.


	14. Chapter Eight—Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This story arc is based on the Star Wars comics, a favorite genre of mine (I adore Zayne Carrick!). Some of the dialogue is quoted directly from Star Wars comics Legacy issue 16, and is not mine.

**Chapter Eight—Part 2**

_He is that fallen lance that lies as hurled,_   
_That lies unlifted now, come dew, come rust,_   
_But still lies pointed as it plowed the dust._   
_If we who sight along it round the world,_   
_See nothing worthy to have been its mark,_   
_It is because like men we look too near,_   
_Forgetting that as fitted to the sphere,_   
_Our missiles always make too short an arc._   
_They fall, they rip the grass, they intersect_   
_The curve of earth, and striking, break their own;_   
_They make us cringe for metal-point on stone._   
_But this we know, the obstacle that checked_   
_And tripped the body, shot the spirit on_   
_Further than target ever showed or shone._

**A Soldier by Robert Frost**

It is a week after the visit from his old master and the suns are low in the sky as Obi-Wan stares at a rising cloud of dust coming from the Jundland wastes. Anyone who lives on Tatooine knows that such a sight is caused by Tuskens on their banthas moving swiftly through the desert. A warm breeze whips his brown cloak about his ankles. He is wearing the same Jedi clothes that he wore when he arrived on Tatooine. He has not donned them for over two years now, for fear the moisture farmers might recognize them.

The brown tunic and dun tabard feel almost foreign to him. The lightsaber hanging openly at his belt does not. The dust cloud is now close enough that he can make out each Tusken riding atop their bantha, gaffi sticks in hand and cyclers on their backs. Still he does not move, not until the Raiders stop before him, their leader dismounting. He removes the hood of his cloak and looks at the Tusken whose face is completely covered with wrappings.

"Master Hett," he states evenly. He can feel the other man's shock through the Force before he conceals it.

"The Force be with you, Master Kenobi. So. You too survived order 66. I thought I was alone. What brings you to Tatooine, let alone these trackless wastes?"

"You lead these Tuskens as their warlord—not something a Jedi should do." He feels Hett's anger swirl in the Force and his bitter response is unsurprising.

"Do not lecture me, Obi-Wan. We were both generals in the Clone Wars—"warlords" for a Republic that turned on us! The Tuskens have been killed by both setters and farmers. Jedi defend those who need help. Sometimes you defend life by taking the life of the aggressor."

Obi-Wan is forcibly reminded of Anakin. Sighing he shakes his head.

"You are correct. Sometimes you do defend life by taking the life of the aggressor, but is this one of those times? You are in danger of becoming what you fight. You must see that A'Sharad Hett."

"I do not. I was raised to manhood among the Tuskens by my father, Sharad Hett, the greatest Jedi of his age. He taught me to think and act as a Tusken. These are my people! Will the settlers stop killing Tuskens? Then blood calls for blood! The settlers will be forced to abandon the land—or be buried beneath it!"

Obi-Wan ignites his lightsaber and Hett lights his dual green sabers, one of which is wrapped in leather with beads strung on two thongs dangling from the hilt.

"You were a great Jedi, Hett, and the son of a great Jedi. But you have given yourself over to revenge. It stops here."

_I will not fail another_ , he promises and launches himself at his opponent.


	15. Chapter Eight—Part 3

**Chapter Eight—Part 3**

_He is that fallen lance that lies as hurled,_  
_That lies unlifted now, come dew, come rust,_  
_But still lies pointed as it plowed the dust._  
_If we who sight along it round the world,_  
_See nothing worthy to have been its mark,_  
_It is because like men we look too near,_  
_Forgetting that as fitted to the sphere,_  
_Our missiles always make too short an arc._  
_They fall, they rip the grass, they intersect_  
_The curve of earth, and striking, break their own;_  
_They make us cringe for metal-point on stone._  
_But this we know, the obstacle that checked_  
_And tripped the body, shot the spirit on_  
_Further than target ever showed or shone._

**A Soldier by Robert Frost**

The air hums as their blades clash and Obi-Wan spins to parry Hett's second lightsaber that is aiming for his flank. He leaps, drawing on the Force to boost his height, and lands lightly several meters away. Hett was known to be a good swordsman. But Obi-Wan's defensive sword style is designed to counter an aggressive style like Hett's.

His opponent rushes him, using the Force to increase his speed as he attempts to plunge one of his blades through Obi-Wan's chest. He sidesteps to avoid the blow and blocks the follow up swipe with his saber. They continue to exchange blows for several tense seconds. Stinging sweat drips into Obi-Wan's eyes as he flips over his opponent to avoid a strike at his head.

Hett's reputation is as a swordsman is true, it seems. But Obi-Wan had been second only to Master Yoda in his skills with the saber and he is pleased to find that he has not diminished in his exile. He flicks his sword, sending one of the other man's blades flying, cut in two.

Hett does not falter, but emits a snarl of rage. He grasps his reaming saber in a two handed grip and uses the Force to propel himself toward Obi-Wan, whom lifts his hand and Force pushes him back. He hesitates for half a second.

Obi-Wan knows he can remove Hett's unguarded arm but instead he rips the man's face covering off, revealing a human with bronze skin and a heavily tattooed face beneath. In the distance he hears the Tusken's moving, departing into the wastes. To reveal any skin is considered taboo in Tusken culture and Hett has just lost all his supporters.

"It is over. Come home with me." Obi-Wan says, disengaging his lightsaber.

Hett is still for a moment, then his face twists and he leaps, his saber held high. Obi-Wan reacts on instinct, igniting his blade and striking a decapitating blow. Hett's head rolls away, face still contorted in rage.

Obi-Wan sighs and clips his saber to his belt. He returns to the farm to get his landspeeder and returns to the edge of his property to retrieve the body. That night, he lights a bonfire with machine oil. Holding Luke, whom he had sent to sleep before the battle with a Force suggestion, he watches Hett's body burn.

"He was a good Jedi, once," he says softly to himself.

"Unsafe," Luke chirps.

He hugs the boy tighter and mutters, "Not anymore."


	16. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?_  
_Thou art more lovely and more temperate:_  
 _Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,_  
 _And summer's lease hath all too short a date:_  
 _Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,_  
 _And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;_  
 _And every fair from fair sometime declines,_  
 _By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;_  
 _But thy eternal summer shall not fade_  
 _Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;_  
 _Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,_  
 _When in eternal lines to time thou growest:_  
 _So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,_  
 _So long lives this and this gives life to thee._

**Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare**

It is Luke's third birthday and the Lars courtyard is packed with people. The Sunber's, the Darklighter's and the Marstrap's are here and so are most of Obi-Wan's militia members in their uniforms: black pants and brown tunic with a high collar and black piping. Tables laden with food and drink line the walls under the shade of a reflecting cloth that keeps the heat of the suns from driving everyone indoors.

The adults stand around taking, laughing and eating. Janek and Biggs are playing tag with some of the older children, darting between the adult's legs, giggling and shouting. Luke and Windom are playing in the shade with the younger children, building a tower out of brightly painted metal blocks. Some of his militia members play instruments and a small band has started playing. Obi-Wan allows himself to be drawn into the dancing that follows by his female militia members. They are thrilled to discover that he knows how to dance and do so well. He finds himself, to his amusement, being passed from girl to girl for several hours and enduring the teasing taunts from his men.

"A general knows how to dance as well as fight!" he retorts, to laughter and appreciative remarks from the girls.

As the suns set, everyone gathers around to watch Luke unwrap his large pile of presents. He can feel the excitement at being the center of attention through their bond. From the Sunber's, and the Marstrap's he receives new outfits for which Obi-Wan is grateful; the boy has outgrown most of his clothes in the last few months. From the Darklighter's he is given a Holopad with display disks for younglings. It is an expensive gift and he makes certain Luke says thank you to both Huff and his wife before continuing to open his pile.

Everyone laughs as Luke opens the present from the militia girls. They have collaborated to create for him three sets of uniforms complete with four silver pips on the collar to show that he holds the same rank as Obi-Wan. They stop for a moment while Luke puts on one of the uniforms. The boy is hugged by most of the girls and everyone says how much Luke looks like him.

"He's got your eyes," Mrs. Sunber says to him.

Obi-Wan smiles, but does not respond.

From the militia men Luke is given mostly handmade objects: model droids and starships. There are second hand toys like a blaster that makes realistic sound when fired, a wind up rancor, and figurines of banthas, krayt dragons, eopies, nerfs and rontos. He also receives a datapad and many datacards that have children's stories and educational material on them.

Later that evening, when the guests have left and he is putting Luke to sleep in his cot at the foot of his bed, he withdraws a small rectangular box and hands it to the boy. With shining eyes, Luke opens it to reveal a training saber. Obi-Wan has spent many nights modifying Hett's lightsaber so it would be small enough for young hands and intensifying the electromagnetic containment field to turn it into a training blade.

"Lightsaber," he says, impressing the importance through the bond.

"Lightsaber," Luke repeats, brimming with curiosity.

"We will start your training tomorrow, Padawan."


	17. Chapter Ten—Part 1

**Chapter Ten—Part 1**

_I met a traveler from an antique land_  
_Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone_  
 _Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,_  
 _Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown_  
 _And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command_  
 _Tell that its sculptor well those passions read_  
 _Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,_  
 _The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed._  
 _And on the pedestal these words appear:_  
 _`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:_  
 _Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'_  
 _Nothing beside remains. Round the decay_  
 _Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,_  
 _The lone and level sands stretch far away"._

**Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley**

The Mos Eisley spaceport is a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

The other moisture farmers avoid it as much as possible, not liking the unsavory types that live and trade there. They go into Anchorhead for any supplies they need or for a few drinks and some company. The people who live here tend to be either those who do not wish to be found or those attached to the Hutt's in some way. The spacer's who frequented the space port tend to be of the smuggler or slaver variety. It is, even by Obi-Wan's standards, a very unpleasant place.

It is also a great place for gleaning information about the galaxy and to learn the sort of news that one cannot find on the HoloNet these days.

The air in the cantina is greasy and laced with the scent of sweat from a dozen sentient species. The band playing in the corner is good and so is his nerf stew. The drink he has been sharing with the grizzled spacer at his table is called Reactor Coolant. It tastes like Obi-Wan imagines its namesake does but he schools his face into a smile as his sips it. The old spacer is impressed and more than willing to share tales with a man in moisture farmer garb, provided the drinks keep arriving at their table.

Luke is at the Marstraps. He has been trying to get the boy to play with their son Windom, whom had his third birthday last month, so that Luke will learn how to socialize with younglings his age. He is not certain how well it is going as Luke is alternately excited about playing with 'Windy' or jealous that he must share his toys with him. He caught the child the other day attempting to demonstrate to the other boy some basic Form I lightsaber stances. Thankfully, Luke had taken his warnings about not telling anyone about their sabers to heart and was using a metal antenna he must have found in the garage somewhere.

He takes another sip of his drink and forces himself not to grimace. The spacer is unusually informative and has been worth the drinks. He has been to Coruscant recently and has heard rumors about a resistant there called Whiplash that helps get enemies of the Empire off planet. His ears perk at the sound of the name Jax Pavan. He was a knight around Anakin's age. This is not the first time since he began coming to this cantina that he has heard names he recognizes.

Another Jedi survived the purge.

It is both heartening and frustrating. He is glad that so many of his fellow Jedi have survived but he has no way of contacting them. He doubts that they even know of the existence of each other. It pains him to think of his comrades in the hostile galaxy thinking that they are the last Jedi. For the first time in two years he is seriously contemplating leaving Tatooine. He could find and unite these Jedi. He still has contacts he could use to help Garen and Olin's rebellion. He would miss his life here and all the friends he has made but he has always been dedicated to serving a higher purpose.

Is it not selfish of him to live in safety and prosperity here while his friends, his family, are out there suffering?


	18. Chapter Ten—Part 2

**Chapter Ten—Part 2**

_I met a traveler from an antique land_  
_Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone_  
 _Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,_  
 _Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown_  
 _And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command_  
 _Tell that its sculptor well those passions read_  
 _Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,_  
 _The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed._  
 _And on the pedestal these words appear:_  
 _`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:_  
 _Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'_  
 _Nothing beside remains. Round the decay_  
 _Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,_  
 _The lone and level sands stretch far away"._

**Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley**

The old spacer is a few drinks over his limit and is slurring his words slightly. Others in the bar glare at their table when he laughs too loud. Obi-Wan is unaffected. He has been using the Force to purge his body of the alcohol's poison, keeping his mind clear. It would be the peak of foolishness to drop his guard in a place like this.

The man mentions that a clan war has started on Rodia due to an internal coup. After yet another drink, he rambles on for some time about the Imperial mass murder of the residents of the planet Bellassa's capital city, Ussa. This is old news. It happened last year and while Obi-Wan feels sorry for the people of the city, it is not as though he could have done anything to help them.

He is just about to take his leave, thinking his new friend has told him everything he wishes to know, when the spacer coughs and makes a joke about High Inquisitor Malorum taking up residence in Master Yoda's old room in the Jedi Temple.

"High Inquisitor?" he asks.

"You must'a heard of the Inquisitors!"

"I've heard the rumors."

Indeed he has. The Inquisitorius is supposed to be a secret division of Imperial Intelligence. It was staffed by mysterious agents in blood red zeyd-cloth robes, known as Inquisitors, which were hunting Jedi whom escaped the purge. Obi-Wan has not been able to find anyone who can tell him anything definitive about the organization. Until now.

"They're no rumors!" the spacer casts his eyes around furtively, lowering his voice.

"Got a cousin who's one. Not that you heard that from me. He's the one who tol' me about a guy named Malorum bein' their leader. He need me to do 'im a favor and I tol' 'im information's as good as credits an' he gave me the insider's view, ya might say." He winks and takes another drink.

So it is true. As much as he wants to help his fellow Jedi he cannot bring Luke with such dangerous people hunting him. He will have to stay, trusting that Tatooine's distance from the core of the Empire will keep them both safe. He bids farewell to the man and returns home, glad the Force has led him to someone who could answer his questions. A week later he hears that the spacer was killed by a bounty hunter on Imperial pay.

He is saddened but not surprised.

  
  


  
  



	19. Chapter Eleven—Part 1

**Chapter Eleven—Part 1**

_When life becomes a sea of pain_   
_And every moment agony_   
_I must endure again, again,_   
_It is a curse to have to be._

_Even as I must go on,_   
_You watch me helpless from the shore;_   
_Sailing thus, though loved, alone,_   
_I need you with me all the more._

_You watch me helpless from the shore_   
_As I endure again, again;_   
_I need you with me all the more_   
_When life becomes a sea of pain._   
_As my debt grows, so my love does, too_

**When Life Becomes a Sea of Pain (stanzas 1, 4 and 5) by Nicholas Gordon**

Luke's sweat soaked hair clings to his forehead as his glazed eyes dart around, unseeing. Obi-Wan has striped the youngling of his clothes except for a swaddling of white cloth around his waist. Since last week the boy has been unable to use the refresher and he must change the soiled undergarments ten times a day. It was almost two weeks ago the normally energetic boy had become listless and lost his appetite. A day later the fever started.

A rash of red dots has spread across his chest. He props the child's head up and forces a few sips of rehydration solution down his throat. Luke moans in his cot and gropes for his hand. He puts the cup down and takes it. It is too warm and damp. He had contacted Mrs. Sunber when he found that his store of antibiotics and antiviral medication seemed to have no effect on Luke's condition. She said the poor child was suffering from dust fever.

It is a common childhood illness on Tatooine, causing fever and vivid dreams. It is not usually fatal. However, in some rare cases it will present itself in a severe form that is resistant to medication. From the despair in Mrs. Sunber's voice when he told her Luke's symptoms, Obi-Wan could tell she does not expect him to survive. The boy probably would not have if he had not been able to use the Force to lower the boy's fever.

But he is no healer. He knows how to mend broken bones and purge poison using the Force but he has so far been unable to assist Luke's body in fighting the infection.

"Daddy?"

"I am right here," he soothes.

"Daddy!" Luke cries.

He floods their bond with reassurance and safety, endeavoring to drive out the confusion and fear the boy is feeling. The worst part of this illness is the dreams it causes. Luke often wakes up screaming, not knowing where he is. It is only through their bond that he can comfort him. Cradling his child's limp form to his chest, he hugs him tight.

"Please don't leave me…" Obi-Wan whispers.

  
  



	20. Chapter Eleven—Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Although Dust Fever is a Tatooine illness in the EU cannon there is not much info about it so I based it on typhoid fever.

**Chapter Eleven—Part 2**

_When life becomes a sea of pain_   
_And every moment agony_   
_I must endure again, again,_   
_It is a curse to have to be._

_Even as I must go on,_   
_You watch me helpless from the shore;_   
_Sailing thus, though loved, alone,_   
_I need you with me all the more._

_You watch me helpless from the shore_   
_As I endure again, again;_   
_I need you with me all the more_   
_When life becomes a sea of pain._   
_As my debt grows, so my love does, too_

**When Life Becomes a Sea of Pain (stanzas 1, 4 and 5) by Nicholas Gordon**

The Anchorhead Medcenter is brightly lit, with gleaming white walls and shiny metal surfaces. It has a familiar and unwelcome sickly-sweet smell of bacta and in the background, the hum of a sterilizing field. Luke is sleeping fitfully on the white padded examination table while a 2-1B surgical droid prods him.

The poor boy had screamed so piteously when the droid had started to inspect him that the droid had to sedate him. In the corner of the room sits a young man, with grease smeared hands, whom is reading a holomag titled 'Popular Automaton' while surreptitiously glancing at his customers. The med droid continues to chatter about this being one of the worst cases it has seen and chastising him about not bringing the child in sooner. Obi-Wan attempts to relax and release his frustration into the Force. He has forgotten how much he hates medcenters.

It has been several hours and quite a few cocktails of drugs since they arrived. Luke's fever and rash have abated at least, and there does not seem to be any permanent damage to his brain.

Obi-Wan had been debating with himself whether or not he should take Luke to the medcenter. Last night he was desperate and this morning he overcame his objections and took Luke to Anchorhead. He is wary of having any of Luke's medical information stored in a computer terminal somewhere. There is an unlikely but possible situation in which the wrong person is able to discover from a blood sample the truth about the boy's parentage.

"Is he able to go home?" he asks the droid, who is still talking about Luke's lack of proper human immunizations.

"Yes, but I'd advise against it. I would keep him here for overnight observation. There can be complications—"

"No. I'll take him home now. Wake him up, please."

The droid continues to mutter about substandard parenting but obligingly administers the antidote to the sedative. Obi-Wan scoops up the sleepy boy who rests his head on his shoulder, eyes still closed. He walks over the man, whom is stilling reading his holomag.

"I need you to erase all of the medical files from this visit." A small wave of his hand accompanies this Force suggestion.

"I will erase all of the medical files from this visit." the man repeats, monotone.

Obi-Wan walks out into the burring midday heat as Luke stirs against his shoulder. He frowns as he senses the boy's fear through the Force.

"How are you feeling, young one?" he rubs the child's back in soothing circles.

"The bad man's coming."

"What bad man? Did you have a nightmare?"

The boy's answer gives him chills despite the heat.

"The bad man with the red lightsaber."


	21. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

_Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,_   
_Enwrought with golden and silver light,_   
_The blue and the dim and the dark cloths_   
_Of night and light and the half light,_   
_I would spread the cloths under your feet:_   
_But I, being poor, have only my dreams;_   
_I have spread my dreams under your feet;_   
_Tread softly because you tread on my dreams._

**Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven** **by W.B. Yeats**

Sitting at their kitchen table, holding Luke in his lap, Obi-Wan opens an on old fashion book. It is one of the presents Luke had received for his birthday. The book is old. It had been hand made by binding flimsy sheets to tanned nerf hide. Uncounted generations of use by young children has rendered the acrylic flimsy pockmarked and stained. Scores of youngling hands have dulled the once shiny pages. Luke is no exception as he points a grubby finger at a large aurebesh letter at the top of the page.

"That's Besh," he says.

"Very good," Obi-Wan praises.

"Besh is for bantha," he informs him, pointing at the rather good hand drawn picture below the letter.

"Yes it is. Can you tell me what these are?" Obi-Wan guides the boy's hand to a list of short words beginning with 'besh'.

"Besh, aurek, leth, leth,"

"And what does that spell?"

"bah-bahl? Ball!" the boy sounds out.

"Yes, it says ball." He turns the page. "Can you read this?"

"The bantha has a ball." the boy reads slowly.

"That is enough for now. I need to get our dinner cooking, youngling."

He places Luke in his highchair with a flimsy and stylus to keep him entertained. Sometime later, after the dishes have been washed and put away, Luke hands him the flimsy with an ink stained hand. It is a crudely drawn picture of a bearded man in a moisture farmer's tunic. Below the dawning is a short sentence written with a clumsy hand: "I lov dad"

Luke looks up at him and through their bond Obi-Wan can feel the child's uncertainty.

"Do you like it?" he asks.

"I love it," he answers, his heart constricting painfully in his chest.

Luke's smile and pleasure radiates in the Force like the suns.


	22. Chapter Thirteen—Part 1

**Chapter Thirteen—Part 1**

_Some say the world will end in fire,_   
_Some say in ice._   
_From what I've tasted of desire_   
_I hold with those who favor fire._   
_But if it had to perish twice,_   
_I think I know enough of hate_   
_To say that for destruction ice_   
_Is also great_   
_And would suffice._

**Fire and Ice by Robert Frost**

The underground hydroponic station is warm and humid. The ceiling is low and brightly lit with grow lights. Set into the floor are long narrow tanks full of water and thick with green plants. Obi-Wan kneels near the door of the food storage unit at the end of the room where he has removed a metal panel in order to get at the wiring behind. The storage unit's temperature control is malfunctioning and he must repair it or risk losing everything he has stored.

Obi-Wan is proud of this hydroponic station. He made it himself by expanding and renovating the oldest of the three underground stations on the Lars' homestead. It had previously been smaller with raised growing beds that constantly leaked. He has enlarged the room and, with the help of some of his militia members, put in a new pourstone floor. He excavated the ground himself, built the grow tanks and put in an improved environmental control system that would better regulate the room temperature and humidity and, hopefully, increase the yield of his harvests.

The most expensive and valuable addition was the food storage unit. With the exception of Hubba gourds and Bristlemelons most food grown in small moisture farms like his did not store well, even in the cool underground storage, for more than a few months. Most farmers sold their crop as soon as they could and did not bother to invest in anything more than temporary storage. The food storage unit will allow him to sell his produce off season for higher prices.

The problem was that the units did not function well in desert environments and were prone to breaking down and the gas that they used to preserve the produce had to be bought. The people like Darklighter who bought crops and store them usually have droids who sole job is to repair the broken units.

In all, it was too cost prohibitive for the farmers to attempt. As it is, Obi-Wan had been forced to take out a loan (with a usurious interest rate) from Jabba the Hutt. Or rather from an employee, as Jabba did not handle such matter himself. All of his friends tell him it is a bad idea, regaling him with tales of the horrible fates that had met those whom could not pay their debts with the Hutt.

Obi-Wan is unconcerned. He does not fear the Hutt and knows that being able to store his crop will also free up more of his time that he intends to spend training Luke, which between the militia and the harvest has been neglected as of late. He hopes that he will be able to finish building a training droid he started for the boy's fourth birthday next month. He finishes the repair and replaces the panel. He returns his tools to their box and calls to Luke, whom has been amusing himself with his toy blaster, darting around the plants and shooting 'bad guys' while he works.

They walk up the stairs, Luke holding his hand and emerging into the bright light of midday. In the distance, shimmering waves of heat rise off the packed sand. Obi-Wan draws the hood of his cloak over his head to keep the suns off and out of his eyes. Luke looks up at him and smiles, eyes pleading.

"Can we pwatice with sabers today?" he asks.

"Practice," Obi-Wan corrects.

"That's what I said," the boy says, scowling.

Obi-Wan decides not to fight this battle. Luke's lisp is endearing and Mrs. Sunber said that he would grow out of it. As his old Master would say 'chose the hill you are going to die on'. Obi-Wan finds this bit of wisdom particularly helpful concerning child rearing. He strokes his beard thoughtfully. He has several vaporators that need some minor repair work and tomorrow he is training the senior militia class…

"Alright, youngling," he concedes. "But I need to work on a few vaporators first."

Luke hugs his leg, broadcasting his pleasure in the Force.

An hour latter Obi-Wan is with his tool box inspecting a vaporator while Luke has a metal antenna that he is waving around like a saber chattering about killing Sand People. Obi-Wan frowns. He does not like it when Luke fights against imaginary Tuskens. He has been unable to stop the child so far, however. All boys his age and older play like this and his militia members have feed the boy embellished stories of his father's defeat of the Sand People over a year ago.

He dislikes the idea of fighting a race. As he has explained to Luke, there are good and bad people in all races (although he keeps his reservations about Hutts to himself) and fears this prejudice. On the other hand, he distinctly remembers imagining that he was fighting Togorian pirates when he was a child. He is almost finished when the Force suddenly screams a warning.

Obi-Wan whirls around to find a man in a dark red cloak holding a crimson lightsaber to Luke's throat.


	23. Chapter Thirteen—Part 2

**Chapter Thirteen—Part 2**

_Some say the world will end in fire,_   
_Some say in ice._   
_From what I've tasted of desire_   
_I hold with those who favor fire._   
_But if it had to perish twice,_   
_I think I know enough of hate_   
_To say that for destruction ice_   
_Is also great_   
_And would suffice._

**Fire and Ice by Robert Frost**

"Ben Lars, I presume? Or should I say, Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

The man is young, tall and dark haired. But it is not the cruel smile or the lightsaber held at his son's throat that causes terror to grip his heart. Obi-Wan cannot sense the man in the Force. He can feel the vibrating tenor of Luke's fear and the frisson of impending danger, all diffused in a thick aura of malevolence. But he cannot sense the man himself. It's as if the Force itself shies away from the dark intensity he can see in the man's black eyes.

"My name is Malorum. Grand Inquisitor Malorum. And this here is Skywalker's child, isn't it?" with the hand not holding the saber he tilts Luke's head up so he can look him in the eyes.

"He doesn't look much like him, does he? Maybe he looks more like his mother, Senator Amidala? I should have asked her grandmother for a picture before I killed her."

"How? How did you find us?" Obi-Wan asks in a low voice. He is trying to keep Malorum taking while he slowly moves his hand towards the small of his back, where his blaster was in its holster on his belt. His hand aches for his saber but it is in hidden in his bedroom, too far away to be of any use.

"I worked in Imperial Intelligence and was at the Temple right after Order 66. Imagine my surprise when I saw our Emperor addressing  _Anakin Skywalker_ , The Jedi, The Hero with No Fear, as  _Lord Vader_. When the Emperor made me Grand Inquisitor I made it my business to discover everything I could about Skywalker, including his  _relationship_  with Senator Amidala. But even I wasn't prepared for what I discovered what you tried to hide at Polis Massa."

Malorum gives a cold grin and ruffles Luke's blond hair in a parody of affection.

"Daddy," Luke whispers. Tears fall from the boy's eyes and he casts Obi-Wan a pleading look.

Anger that he has not felt since before he became a Jedi Knight surges through him. He bares his teeth and clenches his fists, blaster momentarily forgotten. The Force swirls violently around them but Malorum does not seem to notice and continues taking, his voice rising with triumph.

"The Emperor will forget Vader and take me as his apprentice when I give him my gift: the head of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Skywalker's son."

"Luke, Run!" he yells out loud and through their bond, as he hurls the toolbox on the ground with the Force at Malorum's head.


	24. Chapter Thirteen—Part 3

**Chapter Thirteen—Part 3**

_Some say the world will end in fire,_   
_Some say in ice._   
_From what I've tasted of desire_   
_I hold with those who favor fire._   
_But if it had to perish twice,_   
_I think I know enough of hate_   
_To say that for destruction ice_   
_Is also great_   
_And would suffice._

**Fire and Ice by Robert Frost**

The toolbox is bisected by Malorum's red blade sending its contents flying. Luke runs, heading for the house. The Sith charges, blade held high. Obi-Wan dodges easily, the Force screaming in warning. The saber strikes out several more times, Obi-Wan deftly avoiding each stroke. He still cannot sense the man in the Force but his moves are telegraphed. Malorum is an average swordsman using speed and ferocity to make up for lack of skill. If Obi-Wan had his lightsaber the man would be dead already but the velocity of the attacks is preventing him from drawing his blaster.

Obi-Wan leaps, avoiding a blow to his legs and the saber skitters on the ground fussing the sand into glass. He twists to the side to dodge a one handed thrust of the saber that would have impaled him. It is an aggressive move normally reserved for surprise attacks because it leaves one vulnerable if it misses. He uses the moment when Malorum is overextended to kick his lightsaber out of his hand. He then calls it to his hand and clips it to his belt. Obi-Wan picks up Malorum by his cloak and slams him into the nearby vaporator. He watches as the man scrambles to his feet, rage boiling inside him. The man had tried to kill his  _son_.

"Who knows you are here?" he demands, voice tight with anger.

"No one," Malorum sneers "Why would I share my discovery with anyone?"

Obi-Wan cannot sense if he is lying but what he says makes sense. He nods silently and ignites the red lightsaber. Malorum's eyes widen as he sees what he means to do.

"You can't kill me! I took out a contract with the bounty hunter Boba Fett before I came here. Do you think I'm stupid? That I would come here without insurance? If I go missing he will hunt down whoever killed me and torture them to death. I had to pay extra for that. If you kill me you and little Luke Skywalker are as good as dead!"

Without thinking about what he is doing, Obi-Wan raises his hand and uses the Force to grab Malorum by the throat and lift him off the ground. How  _dare_ he threaten Luke? What kind of monster would torture a child? He is trembling with anger as he watches the man struggle for breath, clutching his throat and kicking the empty air. All he has to do is squeeze and end this man. End his own fear. It would be so easy. He has never killed someone with the Force like this but has just resolved to do it when he hears a small voice behind him.

"Daddy?"


	25. Chapter Thirteen—Part 4

**Chapter Thirteen—Part 4**

_Some say the world will end in fire,_   
_Some say in ice._   
_From what I've tasted of desire_   
_I hold with those who favor fire._   
_But if it had to perish twice,_   
_I think I know enough of hate_   
_To say that for destruction ice_   
_Is also great_   
_And would suffice._

**Fire and Ice by Robert Frost**

Obi-Wan is so surprised by Luke's voice that he releases his hold on Malorum, sending him to the ground in a heap. He also drops the red saber, deactivating it. He draws a deep breath, steadying himself. He has almost used the dark side of the Force to kill a man. While all Jedi struggle to some extent with the lure of the dark side, he has never come so close before. Never been this tempted. It had felt so right. He had not even  _noticed_ until it was almost too late.

Was this how it had been for Anakin? Anakin had never truly outgrown his tendency to rely on his emotions. Had he simply done what felt right, relied on his heart instead of the values Obi-Wan had taught him? It reminded him of something Master Yoda had told him when he was still an initiate at the Temple: Often must one choose, between doing good and feeling good.

He walks over to Luke and sees he is holding his lightsaber, the hilt too large for his small hands. He crouches down and the boy hands it to him, looking worried. Obi-Wan reaches through their bond to sooth the boy's fear and reassure him.

"All is well, youngling." he mutterers, to himself as much as to Luke.

The Force vibrates with warning as Obi-Wan whirls, instinctually igniting his saber. He is just in time to parry a blow from Malorum whom has retrieved his blade and charged while his back was turned. Mentally cursing his foolishness he blocks another strike. Then he spins to his right and with a smooth stroke, cleanly bisects Malorum at the waist as he had done with Maul all those years ago.

"Luke, close your eyes!" he shouts.

After checking to make sure the boy heeds him, he looks down at the dead man whose face is frozen in a grimace of rage. He bends down and rummages through his clothes finding a few credits and, on a string around his neck, an amulet. He removes it warily and is surprised when he can suddenly sense an aura of darkness surrounding Malorum's body. He can now sense Malorum's remains thought the Force!

He stares at the amulet. He has heard of such things before when studying Jedi history. The amulet must be made from parts of a taozin. They were one of the few non-sentient species in the Galaxy capable of using the Force. From what he remembers, they were giant creatures native to some Jungle moon. They were invisible to Force-sensitives and there were records of people using taozin nodules to achieve a similar effect. Taozin were also extinct. That Sith agents have access to artifacts that can hide them from Jedi is disturbing.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Luke asks.

He returns to the boy, crouches down and hugs him, running his hand through his soft hair. He then puts the amulet around Luke's neck and tucks it into his tunic. The child squirms and opens his eyes, trying to see what is on his neck. Obi-Wan grasps Luke's hands and looks him in the eyes.

"Never take that necklace off. It will help keep you safe."

"From bad guys?" Luke glances at the body. Obi-Wan gently directs his chin away from the sight.

"Don't look. You'll have nightmares."

"I'm brave!" Luke replied, though he keeps his eyes averted.

"Yes you are. But sometimes being brave is about not doing things rather than doing them. That amulet will help hide you. Promise me you will wear it?"

The boy nods earnestly. Obi-Wan hugs him again and whispers the words he has been unable to say.

"I love you, Son."


	26. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Nature's first green is gold,_  
_Her hardest hue to hold._  
 _Her early leaf's a flower;_  
 _But only so an hour._  
 _Then leaf subsides to leaf,_  
 _So Eden sank to grief,_  
 _So dawn goes down to day_  
 _Nothing gold can stay._

**Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost**

Luke's fourth birthday is a small affair compared to last year. Luke, Windy Marstrap and Janek Sunber are conducting what appears to be a fierce battle with Luke's model starships and a toy bantha. Their parents sit at the kitchen table, which is strewn with colorful wrapping flimsy, drinking tea and talking. While he is enjoying taking to his friends, Obi-Wan is hoping they will depart soon because he wishes to give Luke his present. He has spent Luke's nap times finishing building the training droid and is certain he will be thrilled by it.

At least, until he starts training with it.

Obi-Wan recalls that he, along with most of his fellow initiates, grew to hate the training droids and the stinging shots they give if one does not block properly. He would ask them to leave but Obi-Wan is glad to see Luke playing with friends rather than hovering around his legs. He has been unable to leave Luke at the Marstrap's or the Sunber's recently. Since the attack by Malorum last month, the boy has become insecure and withdrawn. Luke is now afraid to leave Obi-Wan's side and is rarely seen more than a few meters from him.

Obi-Wan is unsure of what to do. It is difficult to perform his duties on the farm and to his militia when his son has become like a second shadow. Luke has nightmares most nights and he has taken to crawling into Obi-Wan's bed to sleep with him every night. What is worse, people have noticed the normally boisterous child's odd behavior and he has no explanation he can give them.

The only good thing is that Luke is taking his lightsaber training more seriously now. He concentrates more and he no longer plays around when they are practicing. The boy has taken to practicing with his metal antenna since he cannot practice with his training saber as often as he desires. Obi-Wan worries that he is trying too hard but Luke will not be dissuaded. He wants to learn to fight 'bad guys'. After one night's training session Obi-Wan asks him why.

"So I can protect you," he replies.

"Youngling, it is  _my_  job to protect me."

Luke is silent for a moment, thinking. Then he crosses his arms and Obi-Wan recognizes the gesture as one he uses when dealing with Luke and some of his militia members when they are being particularly disobedient.

"It's  _my_  job to help," the boy answers stubbornly.


	27. Chapter Fifteen—Part 1

**Chapter Fifteen—Part 1**

_Remember me when I am gone away,_

_Gone far away into the silent land;_

_When you can no more hold me by the hand,_

_Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay._

_Remember me when no more day by day_

_You tell me of our future that you plann'd:_

_Only remember me; you understand_

_It will be late to counsel then or pray._

_Yet if you should forget me for a while_

_And afterwards remember, do not grieve:_

_For if the darkness and corruption leave_

_A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,_

_Better by far you should forget and smile_

_Than that you should remember and be sad._

**Remember by Christina Rossetti**

Obi-Wan replaces the control panel for covering the food storage unit, which has been malfunctioning again. This was the last thing he has to do today. He stands, wiping sweat from his forehead, breathing in the warm, moist air of the hydroponic station that is rich with the musty smell of growing things and the sharp tang of the chemicals that are added to the water to give the plants nutrients. He has come to enjoy the scent the hydroponic stations, although when he first started moisture farming he disliked it.

He goes out into the dry Tatooine air. The suns are low in the sky and will set in a few hours. He gets in the X-34 landspeeder that he parked just outside the entrance to the underground hydroponic station and speeds across the desert. The hot air tugs at his hood as he drives in the open toped landspeeder heading for the Marstrapt's farm to pick up Luke, whom has spent the day there so Obi-Wan could finish the maintenance work around the farm.

Obi-Wan relaxes and enjoys the wind in his face. The harvest from his improved hydroponic station has yielded three times more than the previous years and he was able to sell his stored produce during the off season at twice the price he normally receives. He has made his first payment on his loan to Jabba and is contemplating refurbishing the other two hydroponic stations as soon as he is out of debt.

He arrives at the outskirts to the Marstrapt's farm sooner than he expects, having been lost in thought. Although he cannot sense Luke through the Force because of the amulet he wears, through their bond he can feel the boy's location in his mind, shining like a beacon. He follows the light until he finds Mrs. Marstrapt, Windy and Luke sitting on a blanket under a reflective awning near the entrance to the house. The boys are sitting surprisingly still as Mrs. Marstrapt reads them a story from a datapad. Obi-Wan smiles, amused, for both boys are so engrossed in the story they have yet to notice him.

Mrs. Marstrapt finishes the story and Obi-Wan clears his throat to announce himself.

"Daddy!" Luke shouts and gets up and hugs Obi-Wan's legs.

"Hi, Mr. Lars. Mom's reading a story," Windy says.

"I see, youngling," Obi-Wan replies and picks up Luke who is attempting to climb him like a tree. "Thank you for watching him."

"He's no trouble. Are you still coming over for tea tomorrow?" Mrs. Marstrapt asks.

"I wouldn't miss it," he replies and gives his farewells to Windy and his mother.

He straps Luke into the seat next to him in the land speeder and they head for home. For the first few minutes the boy talks animatedly about what he did at "Windy's house" but soon he becomes quite, staring out at the landscape rushing past. It has been seven months since Malorum's attack and Luke is no longer afraid to leave his side and is mostly back to his cheerfully active self.

Sometimes however, the child will become silent and serious, especially during saber practices but also seemingly at random, like now. Obi-Wan does not press him, even though he is sorely tempted at times like these to use their bond to see what Luke is thinking. He knows Luke needs privacy and as Force bonds are not usual in children this young, Obi-Wan is cautious about its use for fear of damaging the boy's mind. When they arrive home and Luke is still silent, he gives in to his curiosity and worry.

"What are you thinking about, young one?"

Luke looks at him and Obi-Wan can feel his fear and trepidation through the bond.

"Daddy?" he asks quietly. "Why don't I have a mom?


	28. Chapter Fifteen—Part 2

**Chapter Fifteen—Part 2**

_Remember me when I am gone away,_

_Gone far away into the silent land;_

_When you can no more hold me by the hand,_

_Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay._

_Remember me when no more day by day_

_You tell me of our future that you plann'd:_

_Only remember me; you understand_

_It will be late to counsel then or pray._

_Yet if you should forget me for a while_

_And afterwards remember, do not grieve:_

_For if the darkness and corruption leave_

_A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,_

_Better by far you should forget and smile_

_Than that you should remember and be sad._

**Remember by Christina Rossetti**

Obi-Wan swallows hard. He has always assumed that the boy would ask about his father someday but he did not anticipate him asking about his mother. How much should he tell the child? He was only four for Siths sake!  _I will not lie to him… but that does not mean I have to tell him the whole truth._  He took a deep breath and said quietly:

"She died, just after you and your… just after you were born."

"Why?"

He thought quickly. "Do you know who Lord Vader is?"

Luke nods. He has seen images on the HoloNet. The boy bunches his hands in the fabric of his tunic, shifting uneasily.

"He's the one who killed all the Jedi," Luke says in a small voice.

"Who told you that?" Obi-Wan asks, more sharply than he intended.

Luke flinches and answers "I heard Janek telling his cousin when I was over at his house. Is it true?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan can feel is throat constricting and he looks away from the sadness and fear he can see in the boy's eyes.

"He killed mom, didn't he?"

Obi-Wan opens his mouth to explain but stops before any words escape. How does he answer this? Then he nods slowly, his eyes closed. It is true, after a fashion. Together they sit in silence, sweat beading on their skin in the heat.

"Was she pretty?" Luke asks, suddenly.

"What?"

"Mom. Was she pretty?"

Obi-Wan considers the question. He had never thought of Padmé Amidala in terms of attractiveness before.

"Yes. She was beautiful. But she was more than that. She was kind and compassionate. But she also had a strong sense of justice. She was one of the bravest people I have ever met." Obi-Wan smiles in fond remembrance.

"She was a queen… But I think it is time for dinner, youngling. Let's get inside before we both roast."

He hops out of the landspeeder, walks over to the other side, picks up Luke and puts him on his shoulders. The boy shrieks in delight and surprise. They walk into the house their shadows merged into one.


	29. Chapter Sixteen—Part 1

**Chapter Sixteen—Part 1**

_I was angry with my friend:_  
_I told my wrath, my wrath did end._  
 _I was angry with my foe:_  
 _I told it not, my wrath did grow_.

 _And I watered it in fears,_  
_Night and morning with my tears;_  
_And I sunned it with smiles,_  
_And with soft deceitful wiles._

 _And it grew both day and night,_  
_Till it bore an apple bright._  
_And my foe beheld it shine._  
_And he knew that it was mine,_

 _And into my garden stole_  
_When the night had veiled the pole;_  
_In the morning glad I see_  
_My foe outstretched beneath the tree._

**A Poison Tree by William Blake**

The suns are high in the sky as Obi-Wan works on the vaporator, crouching so he can easily reach the control panel, the hot sand burning through his trousers. It is nothing too bad; just some wiring that needs to be striped and soldered. It should not take him more than an hour or so to repair. He shakes his head in amusement as he hears the electronic sounds of Luke's toy blaster firing as the boy darts between the vaporators, shooting at imaginary foes.

"Don't wander off. Stay where I can see you," he tells him.

The boy makes a face, but nods. Humming softly to himself he begins to fix the vaporator. He does not stop or even change position when, a quarter of an hour later, he senses someone approaching from the outskirts of the farm. Nor does he move when he can hear the being's footsteps behind him. Luke stops his play and runs to his side, radiating apprehension. Obi-Wan sends a wave of reassurance through their bond and whispers to the boy's mind  _Brave heart, youngling_.

He stops and stands only when he hears a voice behind him.

"Ben Lars."

The man is wearing battered green Mandalorian armor. His voice, muffed through his helmet, is nevertheless familiar. Obi-Wan has heard it a million times, during the Clone Wars. Jango Fett's voice.

"Boba Fett. The bounty hunter," he says slowly with Luke peering at the man from behind his legs.

"You've heard of me? Always nice to be recognized." The bounty hunter draws a blaster and points it unwaveringly at Obi-Wan's heart.

"I've got a contract on you and your boy. If my client went missing he told me you'd be the one responsible. What did you do with Malorum, by the way?"

"He's dead," Obi-Wan says flatly. "Let the boy go, I'm unarmed."

"Good, that'll make things easier."

"You would kill a  _child_?"

"I will honor the contract. But in deference to your boy I won't do everything I was paid for. Malorum wanted both of you to die  _painfully_."

"Oh, how kind of you."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of humor, you know?" Boba Fett says casually then, his voice turns serious. "Say your last words, I want to get out of this blasted heat."

"Indeed. I am giving you a chance. Leave now and do not come back. We can both forget all about this," he says in his most reasonable tone.

"Or you'll what? You said yourself that you were unarmed," the bounty hunter laughs. "Come on, let's get this over with. Say goodbye to your boy."

"Last chance," Obi-Wan says placing his hand on Luke's shoulder.

"If this is how you want to spend your final moments…"

The bounty hunter shrugs and the air is filled with the light of blaster fire.


	30. Chapter Sixteen—Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Welcome to the last chapter of Island in a Sea of Sand. Thanks to all of you who have given kudos and a special thanks to those of you who reviewed, The sequel is up, so if you want to read about the continuing adventurers of Obi-Wan and Luke, read: Island in a Sea of Sun, featuring chapters from little Luke's perspective.

**Chapter Sixteen—Part 2**

_I was angry with my friend:_  
_I told my wrath, my wrath did end._  
_I was angry with my foe:_  
_I told it not, my wrath did grow._

_And I watered it in fears,_  
_Night and morning with my tears;_  
_And I sunned it with smiles,_  
_And with soft deceitful wiles._

_And it grew both day and night,_  
_Till it bore an apple bright._  
_And my foe beheld it shine._  
_And he knew that it was mine,_

_And into my garden stole_  
_When the night had veiled the pole;_  
_In the morning glad I see_  
_My foe outstretched beneath the tree._

**A Poison Tree by William Blake**

Boba Fett slumps to the ground, struck by no less than twelve blaster bolts. A loud cheer rises from the eight men and one woman of the Freedom Militia whom have been lying in wait for most of the day, hidden under reflector sheets covered with sand. Obi-Wan raises his hand and orders them not to move. Then he walks cautiously over to the motionless body. The armor's breastplate is riddled with still smoking holes from the blaster fire. He pry's off the helmet to reveal the bounty hunter's scared face, his lifeless eyes staring into the distance.

"You should have left when I gave you the chance," he tells the dead man softly.

Over a week ago, a relative of one of his militia members had overheard in a Mos Eisley cantina that the bounty hunter Boba Fett had a contract on someone named Ben Lars and was he was willing to pay for information about his whereabouts. This relative had told the militia member, whom had then told the rest of the militia, all of whom had insisted on guarding Obi-Wan day and night to prevent his death.

Obi-Wan would have like to deal with Fett on his own but as that was no longer an option, he managed to persuade his militia to set a trap for the bounty hunter instead. And so, for the past week, his senior militia members have been hiding, blasters at the ready, while he went about his daily chores, waiting for Boba Fett to appear.

Shaking his head regretfully, he stands and gives the all clear to his men, all of whom cheer again. One of them picks up Luke and tosses him to another and the boy shrieks with laughter. Watching them he cannot help laughing himself, even as he help loads Boba Fett's body onto the landspeeder so they will not have to carry it back. One of the men pulls out a radio and tells the militia members whom are staying in the Lars house that they have succeeded and that they can start the party early.

"But Luke's fifth birthday isn't for two more weeks," he protests.

"We know," the young man laughs. A dizzy Luke wobbles over to Obi-Wan and raises his hands, asking to be carried. He obliges the boy, who puts his arms around his neck.

"This is  _your_ party." The young man returns the radio to his pocket. "For your anniversary, and for your last five birthdays, since we all realized that none of us knows when your birthday is. How come you never told us? Anyway, the party was supposed to start later today but since we're finished…" he trails off, nodding his head at the body in the landspeeder.

"It was  _supposed_ to be a surprise party, so don't tell anyone I told you. The Darklighters and the Marstraps and the Sunbers are coming too."

"You said it is for my anniversary? What anniversary of mine are we celebrating?" he asks, bemused.

"Don't you remember? Today is the officially the fifth year to the day since you arrived here!" the young man claps Obi-Wan on the back.

"I get to be the first to say it so, happy late birthday and happy anniversary!" the young man slaps his back again before hopping in the landspeeder.

Luke looks up at him, frowning. "I'm sorry I didn't get you a present, Daddy."

He looks at his friends surrounding him, laughing and joking as they all started walking back to the house and then back at his son, whom was staring at him with concerned blue eyes. Obi-Wan blinks rapidly, forcing the moisture that was gathering in his eyes to dissipate. Hugging the boy tighter to his chest, he answers in a low voice,

"That is alright, youngling. I already have everything I need."


End file.
